The Braille Forum Vol. XI July-August 1972 No. 1 Published Bi-Monthly by the American Council of the Blind Oklahoma City, Oklahoma * Editor: Earl Scharry 5714 Ridgeway Ave. Rockville, MD 20851 * President: Reese Robrahn 329 Woodbury Lane Topeka, KS 66606 * National Representative: Durward K. McDaniel 20 E Street NW Suite 215 Washington, DC 20001 * Associate Editors: George Card 605 South Few St. Madison, WI 53703 Margaret Freer 11816 West Blue Mound Rd. Wauwatosa, WI 53226 Ione B. Miller 9291 Fermi Avenue San Diego, CA 92123 To inform its readers and to provide an impartial Forum for discussion. ***** ** Contents Notice to Subscribers The Braille Forum on Cassette? Hyde Park Corner -- A Word of Warning, by John J. Murphey "An Old Woman's Apartment" -- A Poem by Mack Riley Uniform Commercial Code, by Earl Scharry 1972 Convention Tapes Available ACB Portland Convention Report, by Fred Krepela Vendors' Convention, by Ione Miller 1972 Convention of Blind Teachers, by Robert McCann Organ-Piano Cassette Program Dallas Handweavers Guild, by John Lahee Summer School Camp for Adult Blind, by Olga Neal 25th National Blind Bowling Tournament -- Really a First, by Oral O. Miller White Cane Safety Day, 1972 Judge Orders Schooling of Handicapped Children Blind Teachers Get Illinois School Code Amended, by Robert McCann Pot Is Studied as Eye Therapy Russian Interlude, by Reese Robrahn Here and There, by George Card ACB Officers Directors ***** ** Notice to Subscribers The Braille Forum is available in braille, large type, and on tape -- seven-inch, dual track, ips 3 and 3/4. Subscriptions and address changes should be sent to Floyd Qualls, who is in charge of our three mailing lists. His address is: 106 N.E. 2nd Street, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73104. Items intended for publication should be sent to the editor or to one of the associate editors. Those much-needed and appreciated cash contributions may be sent to ACB Treasurer Fred Krepela, 241 State Street, Salem, Oregon 97301. ***** ** The Braille Forum On Cassette? Floyd Qualls, ACB's newly elected President, has requested that we ask for expression from our readers as to the desirability of publishing the Braille Forum on cassette tapes. Expressions are invited regardless of the medium which you are now reading. Would you prefer to read the Forum on cassette? Please send all responses to: Floyd at 106 N. E. 2nd, Oklahoma City, OK 73104. ***** *** Hyde Park Corner (Editor's note -- This column exists to provide a forum for the expression of divergent views of writers on timely subjects. Views expressed need not be concurred in or endorsed by the publisher.) (Editor's note -- Durward McDaniel is not a plaintiff in the lawsuit referred to, but is co-counsel in the case in which Dan Johnston, of Des Moines, is chief counsel in the firm of Jesse, Le Tourneau & Johnston.) ** A Word of Warning by John J. Murphey (This article is followed by excerpts from another article, President's Quarterly Report, both printed from advance releases by the Missouri Chronicle, which is published by the Missouri Federation of the Blind, an independent statewide membership organization.) On June 15, 1972, eighteen blind Iowans and their out-of-state counsel, Atty. Durward McDaniel, National Representative of the American Council of the Blind, filed a court action against Kenneth Jernigan, Director, and the three members of the board of the Iowa Commission for the Blind, alleging that the four defendants have made unlawful use of the funds and resources of the Iowa Commission for the Blind, the eighteen plaintiffs "pray for an Order permanently enjoining and restraining Defendants from converting and misusing resources and funds of the Iowa Commission for the Blind for unlawful purposes, and that costs shall be assessed to Defendants." According to Mr. Jernigan's "Special Bulletin" in the Braille Monitor for July, this law suit will be much in the news during coming months. For that reason, readers of the Missouri Chronicle must be alerted to the importance of evaluating such news correctly -- the importance, that is, of distinguishing between what is fact and what is misleading propaganda. Which is to say: Beware of writing that evades issues while lambasting those who dared to question them. For when NFB leaders (Mr. Jernigan is also president of the NFB, you know) can't handle a question, they find it expedient to manhandle the questioner, as the thousands of reputable blind persons -- including scientists, educators, lawyers, federal, state and municipal employees, private businessmen, industrial workers, etc., who were expelled from the National Federation of the Blind in 1960 and 1961 well know. The above-mentioned "Special Bulletin" is a typical example of this kind of evaluation. Therein we are told that the Iowa Commission for the Blind is irreproachable, whereas those who filed the lawsuit are but a small handful of hate-ridden, jealous, vengeful incompetents who, to quote Mr. Jernigan, "had experienced personal failures and were venting their frustration on me and the Commission." An interesting theory, to be sure, but irrelevant. The suit will be determined on the basis of evidence submitted, not on the emotions involved. The Special Bulletin also reports: "The National Federation of the Blind of Iowa (an NFB affiliate) issued a statement late this afternoon (June 15) expressing outrage and indignation at the action of this small handful of bitter dissidents." So what? This court action isn't a popularity contest. Rather, it is a law suit based on evidence which has convinced Plaintiffs that Defendants (the Iowa Commission for the Blind) must be permanently restrained from misusing the Commission's funds and resources for unlawful purposes. At another place in the Bulletin, Mr. Jernigan explains: "It is not difficult to understand what the American Council of the Blind and its leaders are trying to accomplish. It seems to me that they are resentful and jealous of the progress we of the organized blind are making and that they are willing to hurt blind people and damage programs for the blind in order to vent their anger." A hefty swing at the American Council, if you see what I mean. But just try to figure out how the court order sought by Plaintiffs in this suit could hurt blind clients and ruin Iowa's programs for the blind. Unless he wants to believe that Iowa's programs for the blind, said to be internationally famous, would be wrecked by a court order requiring the Commission for the Blind to operate within the law, Mr. Jernigan's remarks about the American Council of the Blind must be dismissed as venomous nonsense. For the sole purpose of the suit is to prevent the Iowa Commission for the Blind from misusing funds and resources that should be entirely devoted to the implementation of those programs. If such a noble purpose constitutes a threat to the well-being of blind clients and their programs, conditions in Iowa must be even worse than the "bitter dissidents" suspect. In concluding his introductory remarks in the Special Bulletin, the NFB president asks: What responsible organization would try to destroy programs for the blind in an entire state and the reputation and good name of program officials simply out of hatred and vengeance." That's precisely the question which we of the Missouri Federation of the Blind have asked on many occasions throughout the past eleven years, ever since the NFB expelled our splendid statewide organization in 1961. Although the Missouri Federation of the Blind and its programs have thrived since our expulsion from the National Federation of the Blind, our members are proud that this progress was achieved despite the NFB's abominable disruptive and destructive tactics in Missouri. (For information concerning the NFB's most recent scheme to victimize and impoverish the Missouri Federation of the Blind, see President's Quarterly Report in this issue of the Chronicle.) So don't believe everything you read, my friends. Be especially wary of highly emotional news releases in the Braille Monitor. And never forget that only blind men and women of great courage would have dared to publicly question the actions of a firmly entrenched and influential official -- a man who, because of his dual role as Director of a State Agency for the Blind and dictatorial President of a national organization of blind people is indeed a formidable adversary. Excerpts from President's Quarterly Report, by Alma Murphey ... As reported in the June issue of the Missouri Chronicle, the lawsuit to prohibit the NFB's Missouri affiliate from renaming itself the National Federation of the Blind of Missouri WAS DECIDED IN OUR FAVOR ON APRIL 13 ... As was to be expected, the NFB filed an appeal shortly before the thirty-day period expired. So this matter is not yet settled, and we now have two new, very frivolous lawsuits with which to contend ... Thus we learned that the NFB of Missouri had filed two lawsuits against the Missouri Federation of the Blind on behalf of John Dower. One is a suit for five thousand dollars actual damages and twenty-five thousand dollars punitive damages for having used John Dower's name on the letterhead of our spring solicitation letter. The other suit enjoins the Missouri Federation from using Dower's name in the future, and requires that all persons who received the letter in question be informed by mail that John is not a member of our organization and that his name was used without his permission. Well, I have too much faith in the honor and dignity of the courts to fear the outcome of such self-seeking, crassly vindictive lawsuits. I must add, however, that John may rest assured that we won't use his name on our petitions again, for we hadn't the slightest intention of using it in the first place. Our spring solicitation letter contained an excellent report on the Missouri Federation's varied, useful and generous services during the previous year, and we certainly could not have wished to mar such a fine review by using it to publicize the name of a man who had deserted our organization after having secretly helped the National Federation of the Blind to recruit new members, some of whom were officers of the Missouri Federation of the Blind. Although these lawsuits are ostensibly on behalf of John Dower, they were actually filed by the NFB's Missouri affiliate and are undoubtedly being financed by the parent organization, the National Federation of the Blind. Thus all this unnecessary trouble that will tax our time, energy and funds, can be directly attributed to the NFB itself -- that national organization whose president asks, in the Braille Monitor for July: "What responsible organization would try to destroy programs for the blind in an entire state and the reputation and good name of program officials simply out of hatred and vengeance?" Of course, no responsible organization would think of doing such a thing. But let us never doubt that such an irresponsible enemy as the National Federation of the Blind has been, is, and probably will continue to be an aggressive menace to the survival of the Missouri Federation and its fine programs. Since its 1958 convention in Boston, the NFB has been committed to a ruthless policy of rule or ruin. I am hopeful, therefore, that all of our readers will give special attention to the article in this issue titled A Word of Warning. I think it will help you to know our enemy better. (Editor's note -- Up until now, the Forum has not made it a practice to solicit and publish original creative writing which has no direct relevance to the programs and philosophy of the Council. However we have been publishing under the heading of "Achievements" accounts of unusual jobs and outstanding accomplishments performed by blind individuals. This poem below first appeared in the ABC Digest, published by the Associated Blind of Calif., an ACB affiliate.) ***** ** An Old Woman's Apartment At night, in the darkness Only the mirror can see. When all else is dead or asleep the door frees itself from its hinges and waddles out into the hall. The dead-pan victrola begins to spin making a secret music all its own. The sofa bounces silently into the kitchen where the icebox, cool and calculating, nudges close. The vacuum cleaner apologizes to the rug, the drapes skirt across the room and introduces herself to the table. The walls hover in quiet conversation. The stairs push down into the cocktail chit-chat complaining about all its ups and downs. The door begins to swing with the drapes in an uncanny dance. When the clock reluctantly adjourns to its boudoir everything takes notice. A clatter of metal, clay, porcelain and glass disperse in all directions finding their proper places apart. Hardly time to say good-bye. A clandestine meeting ends at dawn, an old woman begins to yawn. "The door, oh, the door is flat on the floor!" An uneasy quiet prevails. The windows shutter, the salt and pepper shakers mutter, the refrigerator is nervous. The timid clock holds its breath. Slowly, the door crawls to its enclave, uneasily lifts itself up, and finds its hold. Safe. The clock alarms! The old woman rises from her bed, Presses her feet light upon the rug. The walls shrug and fall asleep. The kettle assumes his forced morning hiss. The spoon settles into the cup acting as though nothing had happened during the night. The old mirror, placid and secret, will never reveal a thing, not even the new wrinkles on the old woman's face. (Mack Riley, a graduate student in creative writing at the University of California, Irvine, has been published in several American literary magazines and Haiku, an English poetry journal. He has won two poetry prizes and is currently a member of the Associated Students Arts and Lectures Committee at Irvine.) Mack is Chairman of ACB's National Coordinating Committee of Blind Students, and of a similar organization in California. ***** ** Uniform Commercial Code in Braille by Earl Scharry Several months ago I received at the Library of Congress an urgent request from one of our fine voluntary transcribing groups in Phoenix. A blind law student at the University of Arizona needed a braille copy of the Uniform Commercial Code. An impending exam was to be based mostly on this Code. Freddie Peaco advised that a braille master already existed. It had been done by our California transcribers for a Michigan law student. I hastily but thoroughly read and corrected the 21 volumes which contain copious notes and annotations. It was then thermoformed and sent to the Arizona student. He passed the exam, and we were pleased to learn that he is to begin work in August at the Justice Department in Washington, D.C. This incident demonstrates the great need for the reporting and sharing procedures adopted by the National Accreditation Council for Agencies Serving the Blind and Visually Handicapped. These procedures are followed by the Library of Congress and its state depositories, perhaps with one exception. Because this transcription was reported properly and promptly, and because the transcribers were willing to make it available for duplication and sharing, others, besides the original beneficiary, will be able to profit from it. The master copy is now being housed by the Oklahoma Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Anyone who needs a thermoform copy of the Code can obtain it from the Oklahoma Library at 1108 N. E. 36th St., Oklahoma City, OK 73111. The cost is 5 cents per braille page. Communications should be directed to Peggy Sapp, Librarian. ***** ** 1972 Convention Tapes Available You may obtain convention proceedings on two reels (1,800 ft.). The recording is quarter tracks at 1 7/8 IPS. A third reel is available containing the 90-minute performance of the Melodonic Chorus from Utah. This reel is recorded at 7 1/2 IPS. Send all orders to: Walter Schreiner, 230 Storey, Topeka, KS 66606. The cost is $1.50 for each reel. However, if you prefer to send your own reels (1,800 ft.), there will be no charge. We are indebted to Mr. Schreiner for his voluntary service of this project. He is the President of the Kansas affiliate of ACB. ***** ** ACB Portland Convention Report by Fred Krepela, General Chairman Saturday, July 1, saw a sprinkling of advance registrants arriving at the Hilton Hotel, Portland, Oregon. By late Saturday afternoon the Amateur Radio station was in operation atop the Hilton, and was in use throughout the whole convention. Sunday afternoon registration desks were fully manned, under the direction of Mrs. Madge Nelson, Convention Coordinator. On that evening at least two Special Interest groups had board meetings. On Monday and Tuesday, as well as Wednesday morning, these groups engaged in their respective business activities. These meetings were constructive and of educational value in their special fields of endeavor. The ACB Board had a long, two-hour session on Tuesday evening, and the Sadie Hawkins Get-Acquainted Party, hosted by ACB that same evening was an outstanding success, with Paul Harmon of Gresham Elks as M.C., and music by the "Nite Crawlers," a group of local musicians, some of whom are blind. Wednesday morning, the World Council of Blind Lions, with its president, Fred Lilley, were hosted by the Bentham Lions of Portland. Their meeting was followed by a luncheon where A. L. Hawn, Past International Director, representing President George Freidrich of France, was the featured speaker. At 1:30 p.m., the 11th Annual Convention of the American Council of the Blind was opened with a greeting from Gregory Robinson, President of the Oregon Council of the Blind, and a welcome from the City of Portland by City Commissioner Ms. Connie McCready. The meeting was then called to order by President Reese Robrahn. The first item on the agenda was the Editor of Dialogue Magazine, Don Nold who told of the progress and growth of this publication, followed by a description of experiences in eye care in Asia and Africa by Herman A. Iverson, M.D., a noted ophthalmologist. Robert Pogorelc, recently appointed Administrator, Oregon Commission for the Blind, described the services of that agency, and enumerated successful programs in other states, based upon his experience with Federal Agencies. Robert S. Bray, L.H.D., Chief, Division for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress gave an excellent talk on the future of the Talking Book Library, urging input from organizations such as ours, as to our desires. He was enthusiastically received. The Melodonic Singers from Salt Lake City, Utah, gave a concert to a hushed audience, with applause after each number. This was an evening event, and the musical treat of the convention. "Legislative Procedures", a panel consisting of Wallace Menning, Catherine Skivers and Mrs. Grace Peck, member, Oregon House of Representatives, very successfully began the Thursday program. This was an educational program, sparking much interest, as evidenced by the great number of questions from the audience. Richard L. Hopping, O.D., Past President, American Optometric Association, told about the activities of his group in the low vision aid field, and about the shortage of optometrists. He also extended their cooperation to the American Council of the Blind. The afternoon began with a panel on the Activities and Employment of blind persons. This consisted of T.G. Merkley, Chairman, Oregon Commission for the Blind; Mrs. Richard E. Nixon, Housewife; Frank Healy, Oregon Corporation Commissioner, and Miss Kim Young, student and Legislative Aide, all blind. It covered the experiences of the participants in their fields of employment and education, from Kim, a 15-year-old-student, to those who have achieved success in their lines of endeavor. At 3 p.m., on a beautiful, sunny, Oregon afternoon, we departed by bus for the Oral Hull Park for the Blind, approximately 30 miles from Portland. Some 200-plus conventioneers took this tour where they were conducted through the five senses Enchanted Gardens, where taped recordings explained each station. The flowers and shrubs were at their aromatic best. A tasty chicken dinner was prepared and served by the Parkrose Lions Club, and during the afternoon and evening the "Twilighters" entertained us with red-hot jazz music. Happy and enchanted, the blind visitors returned to the hotel about 8:30 p.m. The Friday morning program, following a Nominating Committee Report, opened with Byron Richards, Radio Amateur K7AII, giving a report on the Radio Eye Bank Net. This is an Amateur Radio function which assists in providing eye components to the hospitals and doctors throughout the United States. Many of our ACB Service Netters, like Travis Harris, participate in this program on a regular basis. By the great number of questions and comments, this feature of the program proved very popular. Adline Becht, a deaf-blind Oregonian followed with her subject of "I Want to Live." Her presentation was extremely colorful and thought-provoking, creating much interest from the audience. Oregon's own contribution to the convention was the Grant-in-Aid Program presented by Chairman Charles Margach, O.D., and grant recipient, Miss Sherie Ming Kaun. This is an innovative program beginning its fourth year in Oregon. It gives an equal opportunity to children of blind parents for a post high-school education, as that provided by law for blind students. Travis Harris, Director, Oklahoma Division of Visual Services, explained the Radio Talking Book, together with the fact that Oklahoma would soon be following the lead of Minnesota in the promising field of communication for the blind. Many other states are viewing this program with the thought of offering this service. Sue Ferguson from Cinderella's School of Self-Improvement and Models Agency gave an intriguing talk entitled "'A Lion By Its Tail??" That is exactly the way she trapped her audience, while she told how they should each day face the world with confidence. A humorous presentation of positive facts of everyday living. If you missed her, you missed Oregon's 1972 convention! Friday afternoon was occupied by reports of Special Interest groups, legislative reports, resolutions and other internal business. Beginning at 6:00 p.m. on Friday evening, we were entertained by Malcolm Medler with selections played on his new Thomas Organ, which continued during the social and dinner hour. Due to hijackings and plane strikes, our featured speaker, Michael Vance from Walt Disney Productions appeared during the first part of the program in order to meet a return flight schedule. His talk was the highlight of a great convention, and we all missed the opportunity to chat with him after the banquet. George Card presented certificates to new affiliates; the Ambassador Award was presented to Lt. Governor Robert Riley of Arkansas, a blind veteran who has performed outstanding service to his community, state and nation. Oregon's Governor Tom McCall wished the convention well, and complimented Lt. Governor Riley on receiving the Ambassador Award. Bettye Krause, Washington, D.C., received the Ned Freeman Award for the best article published in the Braille Forum during the past year. Saturday was devoted to a busy day of internal business, including the election of officers, board members, the publications board, and selection of Alabama for the 1975 ACB Convention. Everyone's congratulations and best wishes go to our new ACB President, Floyd Qualls of Oklahoma, City. Everyone is on the plane, train or mule.to Knoxville, Tennessee in '73. As you see from the foregoing this 4th of July week convention in Portland was a red, white and blue star-spangled roster of intriguing, exciting and educational speakers. All speakers were on time, and not a one was absent. Each one had his material well prepared. The convention ran smoothly and basically on time, considering the amount of business transacted. The weather was ideal with warm days and comfortable evenings. The Portland Hilton management and staff deserve high praise for their courtesy and cooperation: Your committee thanks all the program participants, and you, more than 425 conventioneers, for your participation. You are the ones that made this convention a success, culminating in the two years of planning and hard work and contribution of time by the ACB Convention Committee. ***** ** Vendors' Convention by Ione B. Miller Over one hundred members of the Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America gathered in Portland Oregon, July 3-5, 1972 for their fourth annual convention. Many operators arrived a day early in order to go on side trips scheduled with other ACB members. The three-day convention also included tours for operators of a vending stand, a snack bar and the vending stand training center in Portland. The Honorable Al Ullman, U.S. Congressman from Orgon, was guest speaker at a luncheon held July 3rd, attended by 95 operators. Mr. Arnold B. Cohen, Vice President of Rowe International Vending Co. from New Jersey, Mr. Robert L. Pogorelc, Administrator for the Oregon State Commission for the Blind and Henry Seward, Vocational Program Specialist, HEW, Washington, D.C. were among the RSVA program speakers. Durward K. McDaniel, National Representative, ACB, gave a legislative report on S. 2506. There were business sessions during the day and evening get-acquainted parties. Decision was made to make THE VENDORSCOPE available on tape. Reports showed the membership of RSVA to be growing very rapidly. Operators and agency people held discussion panels pertaining to activities in the vending stand programs of the various states. "The Innovative Illinois Program" was detailed by Bradley Burson, Bob O'Shaughnessy, Greg Garay and Homer Steele; all of Ill. RSVA officers elected for a two-year term were President -- Wally Menning, Ore., 1st Vice President -- Casey DeLint, Calif. 2nd Vice President -- Homer Steele, Ill., Secretary -- Karen Perzentka, Wisc. and Treasurer -- Francis Morton, Tenn. Wayne Gilmore, Kan. and Marilyn Donnelly, Wash. state were elected to fill unexpired terms on the Board of Directors. Considerable comment was made among the operators about the excellent accommodations they found waiting for them at the Portland Hilton Hotel and the magnificent manner in which the people of Portland hosted this convention. ***** ** 1972 Convention of Blind Teachers by Robert McCann The first annual meeting of the National Association of Blind Teachers met at the Portland Hilton Hotel, Portland, Oregon, on July 4, 1972. Dr. Mabel Bailey, President of the Illinois Association of Blind Teachers reported on the progress of that State Association. A part of the first session was devoted to an extensive discussion of what the goals of our National Association should be. The second session was devoted to planning for the coming year and the following programs were approved for action: (A) A survey of the possibility of establishing a national directory of blind teachers to serve as a referral resource when problems arise; (B) An investigation of the forms of regular communication, such as a newsletter, bulletin or magazine, which would afford a medium for the exchange of ideas and other information; (C) The updating, by 1974, of current information to provide reliable data on employment, teaching fields and subject areas as well as other pertinent facts relevant to the employment of blind teachers; and (D) The planning of a special program for the National Association's general membership meeting in 1973. The affiliation of the National Association of Blind Teachers with ACB was completed. Copies of the newly approved by-laws are available upon request. Many organizations have asked for information about our Association, and these inquiries will be answered as soon as possible. Dr. Mabel Bailey, 610 South Darst St., Eureka, Ill. 61530 will be our coordinator. Please direct all information and inquiries to her. We look forward to being of service. ***** ** Organ-Piano Cassette Program A group of teacher members in the national Organ and Piano Teachers Association have voluntarily contributed their time to participate in this incentive program for sightless keyboard musicians known as THE MUSICASSETTE PROGRAM FOR THE BLIND. The object of the Program is to provide both friendship, encouragement and educational advice to blind students of the organ and piano. The Program will utilize cassette tapes recorded by the blind, consisting of general conversation, technical and non-technical music questions with a maximum recording time of thirty minutes. It is requested that any blind keyboard student, who wishes to have a music conversation with a keyboard teacher use a 1-hour cassette tape and record any conversation or questions on side 1 up to thirty minutes in length, leaving side 2 blank for the teacher's answers. Blind students who wish to participate in this program are requested to send a recorded tape together with 25 cents in coin or stamps to: Organ and Piano Teachers Association (OPTA), 436 Via Media, Palos Verdes Estates, California 90274. The tapes will be sent to participating members at random and future "letter tapes" may be continued directly at the discretion of those participating in the Program. ***** ** Dallas Handweavers Guild by John Lahee (Editor's Note -- Mr. Lahee is a partially sighted weaver with several years' experience.) I have been elected Coordinate Chairman of the newly organized Dallas Handweavers Guild. We are interested in hearing from blind, partially sighted and some other handicapped persons in Texas who desire to learn weaving skills. We would also like to hear from persons who are interested in teaching weaving. I would be interested in a weavers and crafts section at the ACB Convention. Communications should be directed to the writer at the following address: 6609 Bandera, Dallas, Texas 75225. ***** ** Summer School Camp for Adult Blind by Olga Neal "Summer School Camp for Adult Blind?" you ask. Let's analyze this title: SUMMER -- time of year. SCHOOL -- a learning situation. CAMP -- a "roughing it," semi-modern setting. ADULT -- age eighteen and over. BLIND -- a mutual inconvenience. For the second year the North Dakota Association of the Blind, Inc. has sponsored and financed a new program for adult blind. The camp directors were Olga Neal and Lloyd Robertson. For the duration of a week, a learning, sharing, and working experience is available to the blind of the state who need a shot in the arm in adjusting to a new, or perhaps not-so-new condition of functioning as normally as possible with a handicap. Who can best understand the frustrations and limitations of a newly blind individual than someone who has at some time felt these same confusing conditions and has adjusted to his handicap? A week may not seem like a very long time to accomplish a great deal, but it is a start, a foundation on which to build. Time can pass very slowly when one is attempting to adjust to a new way of life. For this reason, we stress "LEARN TO USE YOUR HANDS." One of the best ways to accomplish this is by the use of varied crafts. Caning, bead crafts, copper wire jewelry, basketry, pot holders, leather work, and many more crafts were offered. Aids to daily living, mobility, abacus, braille, typing, script writing, and pointers in swimming were also taught. The individuals traveled between buildings by the use of ropes, as there are no paths. Finances for the project are obtained through the White Cane Drive, contributions from Lions' Clubs, and individual donations. Twenty-eight people met at Wesley Acres on Lake Ashtabula, north of Valley City to take part in the week's activities -- an experience always to be remembered. ***** ** The 25th National Blind Bowling Tournament -- Really A First by Oral O. Miller It would sound pretentious today to refer to a bowling tournament with fewer than a hundred participants as a "national championship" tournament, but the blind people who took part in that first "national championship" tourney in Philadelphia in 1948 were correct in referring to it as a national event because they made up the vast majority of the blind people competing in organized ten-pin bowling at that time. Most of them had probably come into contact with bowling for the first time in lanes belonging to residential schools for the blind and agencies for the blind. However, they had discovered, as is too often the case, that bowling was not readily available to them after leaving school and for this reason their zeal, enthusiasm and determination seem even more exceptional and praiseworthy at this late date. While there is not space to list all the obstacles they overcame at that first tournament (anyway, I do not know all of them because I was not there), modern bowlers would shudder and complain mightily at the mention of some -- no standardized guide rail or other guidance device, not enough of the guidance devices that were available, not enough bowling shoes to go around, no air-conditioning in the lanes (in late July), etc. I am confident that even the most optimistic of those first tournament participants did not expect the event to lead to the organization of the American Blind Bowling Association (ABBA) in 1951, the eventual development of standardized guide rails, the steady growth of the Association and the acceptance of bowling by the blind to the extent that in 1971 there were enough blind bowlers in the western United States and Canada to warrant holding the national tournament in Portland, Oregon. Memorial Day weekend of 1972 saw the national championship tournament return to Philadelphia to celebrate its twenty-fifth birthday, and celebrate it did: At that time Philadelphia was selected two years earlier to be the site of the 1972 tournament, decisions were made to see to it that the twenty-fifth tournament would be truly different, memorable and special. Although the national tournament has become the largest gathering of the blind at one time in the United States, it is significantly different from other conventions of the blind through, among other things, the comparative absence of business and convention meetings. It usually schedules one meeting of the Board of Directors and one general business meeting, although this does not mean that crucial committees do not burn gallons of midnight oil when necessary. The tournament also features logistical achievements that would be a source of pride for any army general; it transports smoothly and efficiently hundreds of people every day between the convention hotel (such as the huge Ben Franklin Hotel in Philadelphia) and the bowling center (such as the sprawling 116 lane center used outside Philadelphia) on a schedule in which a five-minute delay at the lanes is tantamount to a cardinal sin in the opinion of the National Tournament Director. However, the 1972 tourney had to have more in honor of the special occasion -- extras such as commemorative chevrons for everyone, a formal cocktail party and formal banquet honoring the first tournament winners, the most dedicated participants in the intervening years and the Association's past presidents. As plans developed there was doubt as to how well these added functions would be attended because of the accepted rigors of the bowling schedule, impromptu reunions with friends, social commitments, etc. However, all doubt was resolved when it was announced in early spring that the featured speaker at the banquet would be Mr. Billy Welu. His name is familiar to most bowlers and viewers of televised professional bowling because he is, besides one of the great professional bowlers of all times, the consultant and analyst who comments upon and analyzes bowling during the ABC network telecasts. In short, he is the expert who tells the viewers (and listeners) what is right or wrong with each delivery, who is winning according to the somewhat complicated score keeping system, how certain shots must be made by the bowlers, etc. His selection as featured speaker was especially popular because, although he had never before spoken to a blind bowling organization, he customarily speaks in more exact and more meaningfully descriptive terms than do most sports casters during televised sporting events and as a result he adds enormously to the understanding of blind viewers as to what is really going on. By banquet time there were more than five hundred people holding reservations. It would be foolhardy to try to name all the speakers and to summarize their remarks appropriately brief. A word of specific commendation should go to the Master of Ceremonies, Mr. Arthur Copeland -- the first President of the ABBA. The remarks of Billy Welu were exceptionally well-received, and everyone present appreciated and savored his unique combination of humor, humble sincerity and warm friendliness -- presented so pleasantly by that six-foot six-inch bowler-lawyer with the soft drawl of a native Texan. The national blind bowling tournament is unlike any other gathering of the blind in many respects, but the 1972 tournament was unique in that the atmosphere was charged with the realization that the ABBA has come a long, long way since that first tiny tournament in 1948. The 1972 event drew approximately 850 blind bowlers and several hundred more sighted or auxiliary bowlers (who now compete in their own tournament events), not to mention countless non-bowling friends, relatives, guides, etc. As of this date (mid-June, 1972) the final results have not been published, but I know that the tourney featured a number of unusually nigh game scores for blind bowlers (such as 226 and others in the area of 210). While there are, as far as I know, no plans afoot to change the basic format of the tournament -- which will always be more rigorous, more demanding and less oriented toward meetings than are most conventions -- the 1972 event was truly the first of its kind, and a splendid first it was. While an article of this type cannot hope to summarize all of the significant decisions made and actions taken by the Association while in Philadelphia, the elected officers should be recognized. The President is Charles Morgenstern of Whitehall, Pa.; the First Vice-President is LeRoy Saunders of Charlottesville, Va.; the Second Vice-President is Cliff Menning of Portland, Oregon; the Secretary-Treasurer is Richard Perzentka of Madison, Wisc., and the National Tournament Director is Mrs. Roberta Looney of Falls Church, Va. Do you receive the impression that there must be something about bowling as an incomparable activity for the blind to enable it to attract people on the scale it drew them to Philadelphia? If so, you are right!! If you would like to find out more about it, let me know via inkprint, Braille or tape. We have informational material available in all those forms. -- Oral O. Miller, ABBA Publicity Chairman, 6327 31st Place, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20015 ***** ** White Cane Safety Day, 1972 A Proclamation by the President of the United States For the more than one million Americans with severe visual disability, mobility is one of life's most basic and pressing problems. Even moving about in a familiar room is a complex task for someone who cannot see. How much greater is the job of navigating unfamiliar and hazardous city streets? Although there are a number of aids which sightless people can use to help them move about, none is so simple, yet so helpful, as the white cane. It enables a sightless person to move about easily, skillfully, and, most important, independently. Not only does the white cane liberate the body, it strengthens the spirit of its user, instilling confidence and self-respect. It transforms blindness from a tragedy to a handicap which can be overcome. By permitting mobility, the white cane may enable a blind person to hold a steady job without depending on others for transportation. It allows him to shop, to enjoy leisure time, and to visit with neighbors and friends. The white cane user wants neither charity nor pity from the rest of us. He does expect a safe passage as he walks down and across the street. And he deserves understanding, cooperation, and courtesy, particularly from motor vehicle drivers and bicycle riders. Taking an extra moment to yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian with a white cane may cost the driver a second or two, but failing to do so could cost a sightless walker his life. We all must learn to recognize the white cane and take the necessary action to assure the safety of its user. To make all Americans more fully aware of the significance of the white cane and the need for extra care and courtesy when approaching its user, the Congress, by a joint resolution approved October 6, 1964 (78 Stat. 1003), has authorized the President to proclaim October 15 of each year as White Cane Safety Day. NOW, THEREFORE, I, RICHARD NIXON, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 15, 1972, as White Cane Safety Day. I urge all Americans to mark this occasion by greater consideration for the special needs of the visually handicapped, and particularly by learning to heed the white cane in order that our traffic-filled streets may become safer for all, sighted and sightless alike. ***** ** Judge Orders Schooling of Handicapped Children (Reprint from Washington Post, August 2, 1972) by Jim Mann Washington Post Staff Writer A federal judge here declared yesterday that handicapped and emotionally disturbed children have a constitutional right to a public education and ordered the District of Columbia to offer all such children educational facilities within 30 days. In a sweeping opinion, U.S. District Court Judge Joseph C. Waddy also directed the District school system to establish elaborate hearing procedures under which no pupil could be placed in a special education program or be suspended from school for more than two days without a public hearing. The judge also ordered the District to come up with a written, comprehensive plan for providing special education facilities and identifying those children who need them within 45 days. He threatened to appoint a special master for the school system if his order is not carried out. The 30-day deadline applies to children already known to the system. The ruling by Waddy comes after a year of litigation and controversy regarding the admitted failure of the District to provide a public education for handicapped, disturbed and retarded children. According to a 1971 report by the D.C. school system to the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, an estimated 12,340 handicapped children were being deprived of adequate care for the 1971-72 school year. School authorities have been unable to say how many handicapped or disturbed children have been completely deprived of any education here. The estimates range from a few hundred to several thousand. Waddy's opinion may also have some national impact. It is the first court decision in the nation stating explicitly that handicapped children have a constitutional right to a public education, according to Stanley Herr, the attorney who represented the children in the case. During the past year of litigation, the District and the school board had generally conceded that there was an obligation to provide public education for the handicapped, but said they faced a number of obstacles in providing such education. Waddy said yesterday that none of those obstacles mattered. For example, the objection was raised that it is impossible to provide special education for the handicapped unless Congress appropriates millions of dollars for that purpose. But Waddy said yesterday, "The inadequacies of the District of Columbia public school system, whether occasioned by insufficient funding or administrative inefficiency, certainly cannot be permitted to bear more heavily on the 'exceptional' or handicapped child than on the normal child." The judge also cited what he said was a "lack of communication" among the D.C. school board, School Supt. Hugh J. Scott and his staff, and the D.C. government in developing special education programs. For the future, he clearly placed responsibility for carrying out his orders with the school board. A spokesman for the corporation counsel's office, which represented the District in the court case, said he would have no comment on Waddy's opinion. Scott could not be reached for comment. Waddy devoted a considerable portion of his ruling to the creation of public hearing procedures within the school system. The school system, the judge said, "shall not suspend a child from the public schools for disciplinary reasons for any period in excess of two days without affording him a hearing ... and without providing for his education during the period of any such suspension." That provision came in response to a claim that emotionally disturbed children, or children thought to be disturbed, were being denied a public education through disciplinary suspensions. In addition, Waddy wrote, any children thought by school officials or their parents or guardians to be in need of special education "shall neither be placed in, transferred from or to nor denied placement in such a program unless (the school system) shall have first notified their parents or guardians of such proposed placement, transfer or denial; the reasons therefor; and of the right to a hearing before a hearing officer if there is an objection." In such public hearing, the children or their guardians have the right to have legal counsel present and to have a tape recording made of the hearing, Waddy said. In addition, the parents of school children were given access to all school records and tests for purposes of these public hearings. Waddy did not say how the hearing officer would be appointed, but said he "shall be an employee of the District of Columbia, but shall not be an officer, employee or agent of the public school system." The judge based his assertion that handicapped children have a constitutional right to public education on the Fifth Amendment guarantees to due process of law. He cited several other famous educational decisions as precedents, including the 1954 Supreme Court decision outlawing segregated schools and the 1967 decision by Judge J. Skelly Wright outlawing the so-called track system here. The case was brought on behalf of handicapped children by the National Law Office of the National Legal Aid and Defender Association, with attorneys Herr, Julian Tepper and Pat Wald handling the case. ***** ** Blind Teachers Get Illinois School Code Amended by Robert McCann House Bill 4168 was signed into law on July 28, 1972, by Governor Ricard B. Ogilvie. This bill provides that: "No person otherwise qualified shall be denied the right to be certified, to receive training for the purpose of becoming a teacher or to engage in practice teaching in any6 school because of a physical handicap including but not limited to visual and hearing handicaps; nor shall any school district refuse to employ a teacher on such grounds, provided that the person is able to carry out the duties of the position for which he applies." At the request of the Illinois Association of Blind Teachers, the bill was introduced by Representatives Carroll, McDevitt, Berman, Wolfe, Shea, Laurino, Jaffe and Scariano, and Senator Palmer. The approval of House Bill 4168 by Governor Ogilvie now brings the Illinois School Code into agreement with the new State Constitution. It will strengthen the position of any blind student in preparing and qualifying for a teaching position in the State of Illinois. ***** ** Pot Is Studied as Eye Therapy Reprint from the Washington Post, July 28, 1972 San Francisco, July 27 -- Marijuana smoking reduces fluid pressure in the eyes and may prevent glaucoma, a significant cause of blindness researchers reported Wednesday. Scientists from the University of California at Los Angeles medical school and the National Institutes of Health said they stumbled by chance on the efficacy of marijuana to reduce the accumulation of fluid inside the eye. The ultimate problem will be to develop a non-intoxicating derivative for use as regular medication in treating glaucoma -- an eye disease characterized by excessive fluid pressure in the eyeball, according to Dr. Ira M. Frank, an assistant professor of psychiatry at UCLA. "We can't have people walking the streets high because of their glaucoma medicine," explained Dr. Stephen Szara, a collaborator with Frank. They told an international Congress on Pharmacology meeting that they were studying the effects of pot smoking on coordination and other functions related to automobile driving and that part of that study included eye examinations. Using 30 volunteers, all males between the ages of 21 and 29, the researchers once a week for eight weeks provided "intoxication" and physicals -- including tonometric examinations, the precise technique used by ophthalmologists to measure eye pressure. "Marijuana is indeed able to decrease intraocular pressure in normal subjects and the effect is definitely related to the size of the dose," the preliminary report said. The doctors also studied a 42-year-old woman suffering from extreme glaucoma and said her eye pressure, which had been three to five times above normal, dropped to just slightly above the normal range. ***** ** Russian Interlude by Reese Robrahn On May 20, after frantic hours of packing and other preparations, Nelda and I boarded a plane at Kansas City, the beginning of a journey via Chicago, Amsterdam and Warsaw, that took us to Moscow in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and ultimately to the Republic of Armenia. The purpose of our trip was to attend a meeting of the Executive Committee of the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind. The latter organization meets in general assembly once every five years and its Executive Committee convenes once in the interim. I have been serving on this Committee with three other American citizens, representing the North and Central American Region; they are M. Robert Barnett and Cleo Dolan as delegate members, and Dr. Edward Waterhouse as Chairman of the International Committee of Educators of Blind Youth. Much of the program of the Executive Committee meeting was routine business, including approval of a revision of the constitution of the World Council which I prepared upon request of the Committee, in order that purely procedural matters might be removed from the body of the constitution, to be set forth in the by-laws. The Committee, however, passed along the proposed revisions to another committee of the President and five Vice Presidents of the organization with a mandate to study the same and report further proposals for more sweeping changes such as modification of the membership of the Executive Committee. The body rejected a proposal to adopt a so-called "bill of rights of the blind" of the International Federation of the Blind. It acted affirmatively to establish a part-time staff member with part-time clerical help for the purpose of coordinating projects and activities of international organizations which affect blind people in the developing nations: The object of this effort is to avoid duplication of programs among the several organizations and United Nations Committees which serve in the international field. During our four days in Moscow, we were guests at a reception given by the Minister of Social Security of Russia and a dinner given by Mr. Boris Zimin, President of the All-Russia Society for the Blind, the official host of the meeting. Upon conclusion of the meeting, all delegates and their spouses or guides were divided into small groups and invited to visit designated Republics. Cleo and Eleanor Dolan, Dr. Waterhouse, Nelda and I together with a couple from West Germany and a couple from East Germany were the guests of the Armenian Society for the Blind to spend five very delightful days in Yerevan, Armenia. The weather was ideal. The itinerary was wining, dining and sight-seeing, interrupted by a visit to a factory operated by the Armenian Society for the Blind and the residential school for the blind. Our hosts were friendly, hospitable, generous and thoughtful of our every need. The scenery was beautiful. Our stay was all too short, which even more sharply emphasizes our great pleasure. We will never forget Russia because of our five days with the Armenians. An example of our eventful time is quite apparent from a dinner at a mountain resort lodge hosted by the Minister of Social Security of Armenia which got under way at 2:00 in the afternoon and concluded at the hour of 7:30 after many courses and many toasts. The Russian people and the Armenian people seem to be almost obsessed with the desire for peace. Many, many toasts were made during our sojourn and every toast, without exception, made reference to peace among all peoples of the world. We Americans, unaccustomed to the long dinners and many toasts, were hard put at times to respond with the spirit and ready flow of words. I am sure that we did not approach the facile prose of our hosts. During our stay in Russia and Armenia we toured two factories where 50-60% of the workers are blind. These workshops are operated in the same manner and come into existence through the same procedures as those production units in the communist system where the workers are not blind. The Russians make the claim that they have solved the unemployment problems of the blind in their country. However, several facts were apparent or indicated which might lead one to another conclusion. Our guide-interpreter, for instance, dropped the information that her sister was employed in one of the factories and her job was to go out into the village and find and recruit blind workers. We observed many workers performing repetitive one-step assembly line tasks who were obviously highly intelligent and seriously under employed. We could learn of few blind people who were engaged in the professions. Blind people are considered to be invalids, and as such they are not expected to work. We saw exhibits of aids and appliances, but we saw none that were new or different; and we did not see many that one would expect to see, such as the thermoform. We, in fact, inquired about the latter and learned that indeed there was no comparable device known to them. We saw not one blind person using a cane or guide dog. We were told that blind Russian men, women and children were expected to have sighted guides for their safety. There is much, much more to say, but time and space will not permit it. We will always remember this unexpectedly delightful interlude. ***** ** Here and There by George Card Recently George Wolber, new President of our Illinois affiliate, traveled 1,000 miles throughout Illinois contacting blind people to make them aware of how the IFB can-enrich their lives. He writes, "Officers and members of each affiliate have a moral obligation to be knowledgeable of the blind population in their area and their unmet needs. Use the available resources, wherever they are, and assist those who are willing and anxious to help provide training, education and social activities." -- A long-term project of the new Illinois Association of Blind Teachers is the preparation of a handbook describing the devices, techniques and procedures developed and tested by experienced blind teachers. From LISTEN: The Rev. Kare Eriksson, a recent trainee at St. Raphael's Geriatric Adjustment Center, Boston's Catholic Guild for All the Blind, is returning to his work as a missionary in Africa. When he reaches Rhodesia again, he will perform much the same work as he did there before he became blind. He will be a full-time administrative assistant to the Bishop of Rhodesia and continue to perform marriage ceremonies and give sermons. -- The average time lag throughout the U.S. between the inception of blindness and discovery or referral is seven years. In Massachusetts the hospital, clinic, ophthalmologist or optometrist must register every person who becomes blind with the Commission for the Blind. Within two weeks of his registration by the doctor, the blind person is contacted and the wide range of benefits and services available to him are explained. In the Boston office is a battery of eight telephones and eight well-trained, well-informed persons who answer these phones to provide information or to arrange for some other service. It is almost impossible for a caller who calls 727-5550 to get a busy signal. Such calls can be made from anywhere in the state without the long-distance charge. Only a few states have compulsory reporting compulsory because of objection by doctors who insist that such compulsory referral is a violation of the doctor-patient confidential relationship. -- Totally blind since the age of eight, James E. Hannon of Lee, Massachusetts, associate justice of the Lee District of Court and former state representative, is dead at the age of 61. He gained fame beyond Massachusetts for his connection with the "Alice's Restaurant" case. He was presiding in Lee District Court when folk singer Arlo Guthrie was brought to trial on a charge of littering in nearby Stockbridge. The littering incident was memorialized in a song which was the basis of the movie "Alice's Restaurant" in which Judge Hannon played the role he had filled in real life. From ACB's Washington Office: Leonard Robinson is working on the history of the Randolph-Sheppard Act. He would like to obtain a copy of the Braille Mirror, the March 1931 issue. That was five years before the Randolph-Sheppard Act was passed and the article published in that issue contains important background on the early history of that effort. If you should have the desired issue, please lend it to Leonard whose address is 1209 Burton, Silver Spring, MD 20910. -- If any deaf-blind who is self-employed and applied for Social Security and found his just claim disallowed by SSA in a manner indicating impatience or undue bias toward him because of his condition, I would like to hear from him. Roby C. Leonard, R.F.D. 9, Box 524, Lexington, North Carolina 27292. -- On June 8, 1972, Mr. John Patterson was honored by the Erie County Bar Association for his 50 years of service as an attorney. Prior to Mr. Patterson's retirement he spent 43 years with the Legal Aid Bureau, and 23 years as a member of the New York State Commission for the Visually Handicapped, presently serving as the Vice Chairman. He is also serving on the American Blind Lawyers Association Board of Directors. From the WCWB NEWSLETTER: Syria and Rumania have joined the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind, bringing its membership to 60 countries. -- The fourth Blind Chess Olympiad, at which 30 teams of four players each participated, was scheduled April 1-18 in Pula, Yugoslavia. The new talking chess, invention of Arsen Surlan, who is also the inventor of the talking typewriter and talking teleprinter for the blind, was demonstrated at the Olympiad in German, Russian, English and Serbo-Croat. -- The little country of Lebanon has three schools for the blind featuring many vocational courses, including darkroom photographic development and switchboard operation. -- Following the retirement of Mr. J. C. Colligan on April 30 as Director of the Royal National Institute for the Blind, our old friend Eric T. Boulter, past Secretary General and President of the World Council, became his successor. From the Washington State WHITE CANE: Blind Al Sanchez, Oak Harbor, Washington, has found a somewhat unusual job. In the processes of recording miles of tapes is one called tape "snooping." Returned tapes are put on one of four tape transports and run at high speed. The machines find faults in the tape and stop at each one. Sanchez then splices out the bad portion and starts the tape going again. With the wonderful success of the Newfoundland Mobile Eye Care Unit, a similar van to conduct eye examinations and test for eye diseases will be making its rounds in Ontario this summer. It will be staffed by an ophthalmologist and nurse. (Such a mobile unit is planned by the Wisconsin Council of the Blind as soon as proper arrangements can be made.) From the GFB DIGEST: A new chapter of the Georgia Federation of the Blind was organized in Rome on April 15. -- Being blind hasn't kept J.W. "Sonny" Beasley from rising through the ranks to become the only sergeant major in the Georgia State Patrol. His success can be credited to experience, an astonishing memory, determination and personality. As communications officer of Troop F, Beasley supervises eight patrol stations, trains operators and handles radio work himself. Because he has etched every twist and turn of the roads in the area in his mind, he astonishes troopers by saying, for example, "Go around the bend and up the hill where the big oak stands on the right ..." He's an expert at setting up roadblocks in the area. From the NEW OUTLOOK: What appears to be the first case of an adult having irreversible retinal damage induced by excessive oxygen was reported in the February 7, 1972 issue of the JOURNAL of the AMA. The resulting retrolental fibroplasia, formerly thought to be confined to immature retinas, left the patient with only partial vision in one eye and no vision in the other. -- The Home Service Department of the New Jersey State Commission for the Blind has developed a program for recruiting and training paraprofessional assistants for its home teachers. Called "instructor assistants," these individuals provide supplementary instruction and services to clients when required, that is, at hours other than those of the agency's regular working day. -- The Optiscope Enlarger, a portable (14 pounds) optical reading system that projects a magnified (4X) black and white or color image on a self-contained, polarizing screen (9" x 14"), is now being produced by Opaque Systems Ltd., 100 Taft Avenue, Hempstead, NY 11550, for $295. The key components of the device are a patented, high intensity light source and a unique and highly sophisticated optical system. Printed matter is placed right side up on the sliding platform of the machine; brightness and focus control knobs are large and clearly marked. Balance arms "float" the unit above the page, allowing the reader to raise and lower it easily for paper turning; this feature also permits the reading of very thick books. From the MISSOURI CHRONICLE: The first of a series of dinner meetings for our three St. Louis affiliates -- RITE, the Tower Club, and the UWB -- took place in February. IT is hoped that the gatherings may encourage each club to participate more actively in the state organization's various programs. -- On April 19 both houses of the Missouri Legislature passed SB-483 which greatly liberalizes the blind pension law and allows one who sells his property a full year before the money must be reinvested. The Governor signed it on May 9. This legislation is regarded as a tremendous step forward and has been the most important project of the MFB during the past few months. The Legislature also granted the full request from the Library for the Blind. -- On September 30, 1971, the Missouri Federation of the Blind filed a suit against the National Federation of the Blind of Missouri, Inc. (formerly Progressive Blind of Missouri), seeking to enjoin that organization from using the name it had adopted. The Court permitted the National Federation of the Blind to become a party-defendant to the lawsuit. On April 13 the Court ruled that a charitable corporation is entitled to protection from trade name infringement. And that the plaintiff is entitled to a permanent injunction against defendant, National Federation of the Blind of Missouri, Inc., with respect to the use of its name only, and that such injunction shall preclude the future use by said defendant of any combination of the following words: Missouri, Federation and Blind, unless they wish to revert to the use of their prior name, The Progressive Blind of Missouri. -- John Weidlich, blind, is a newswriter, editor and co-assignment editor for KPLR-TV, St. Louis. -- Charles C. Woodcock, of Salem, Oregon, has become Superintendent of the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School. -- A 23-year-old blind girl goes three mornings each week to United Cerebral Palsy Center to work as a volunteer with the youngsters there, doing simple tasks such as helping to feed the children, changing diapers and working with them in any way she can. -- Harvard Medical School will include in their new building a multi-discipline laboratory where retinitis pigmentosa will be studied, analyzed and hopefully some day conquered. Dr. Eliot Berson of the Mass. Eye and Ear Infirmary has already been researching the dread disease for some time and will continue in the new facility of the 15-story building under construction in Boston. From the Hadley School's Annual REPORT: As we opened our second half-century of operation, Hadley School had an outstanding year. Dick Kinney's monumental efforts, ably assisted by our family of friends, combined to balance our $554,000 budget with the largest surplus in recent years. -- Worldwide in scope and half a century deep in educational experience, the Hadley School for the Bind on May 16, 1971, dedicated building facilities that will open a new era of freedom to learn for all who must see with the eyes of the mind. Ninety percent of our instructors are blind. Only through education and training can life without sight be rebuilt. -- Ten active programs are in operation in France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Israel, Kenya and Latin America (four offices). -- (used the following in a very early issue of the BRAILLE FORUM but it is worth repeating.) Richard Kinney says, "Virtually no physical handicap can prevent us from learning to do SOMETHING well -- and perhaps exceedingly well. The wisest prayer I know is this: 'May I this day change for the better that which can be changed, accept with serenity that which cannot be changed; distinguish with wisdom between the two.'" The RSVA VENDORSCOPE reports that in Illinois, where the operators' organization has been in charge of the program for the past two years, there has been nothing but success. The average weekly wage per operator is $158.80, throughout the 89 stand locations. Last year sixteen operators had gross incomes of more than $10,000 and in the coming year the number will rise to twenty-five or more. The group buying program promises to be highly successful. From the KAB NEWS: Visually handicapped high school and college students met last December in Wichita and organized a student affiliate of KAB. -- The KAB Credit Union now has assets of $80,380 with $60,000 out on loan. After serving as President of the Wisconsin Council of the Blind from 1946 until 1960 and as its Executive Secretary from 1944 until the present time, the Editor of this column will retire at the end of the current year but will stay on another six months as consultant to his successor. The Oregon Council welcomes its fourteenth affiliate chapter, organized recently in the Reedsport area. -- In a strongly worded and extremely well written letter to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Greg Robinson, President of the Oregon Council, protested the fact that -- although there is a statutory blind advisory committee, to the Department -- relevant information has been made available to the officials of the Department and to the Board of Education but withheld from the advisory committee. ***** ** ACB Officers * President: Floyd Qualls, 106 N.E. 2nd Street, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73104 * First Vice President: Dr. S. Bradley Burson, 917 Kenyon St., Downers Grove, Ill. 60515 * Second Vice President: Mrs. Billie Elder, 5317 W. 29th St., Little Rock, Ark. 72204 * Secretary: Mrs. Catherine Skivers, 836 Resota St., Hayward, California 94545 * Treasurer: J. Edward Miller, 2621 Chesterfield Ave., Charlotte, N.C. 28205 ** Directors George Card, 605 South Few Street, Madison, Wisc. 53703 Paul Kirton, Rt. 1, Box 56 C, Woodford, Va. 22580 Lester McGlaughn, 2403 Monroe Ave., Gadsden, Ala. 35901 Wallace Menning, 2750 Ellis Ave., Salem, Ore. 97301 Norman Robinson, 7107 South King Dr., Chicago, Ill. 60619 Reese Robrahn, 329 Woodburn Lane, Topeka, Kan. 66606 Earl Scharry, 5714 Ridgway Ave., Rockville, MD 20851 John Vanlandingham, 5800 North 19th Ave., Phoenix, Ariz. 85015 Vernon Williams, P.O. Box 826, Aberdeen, South Dakota 57401 ###